


Who is Rose Quartz?

by asdflove



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: I wrote this like... a month ago, Pink Diamond, Pink Diamond Theory, Rose Quartz is more than she seems., don't know why I'm just now posting it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 04:43:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5614336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asdflove/pseuds/asdflove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Did anyone <i>really</i> know who Rose Quartz was? She's an enigma to many. To every citizen of Beach City. To her own son who never got to know her.</p><p>So, who <i>is</i> Rose Quartz?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

### Who is Rose Quartz?

#### Part 1

Peedee stops, having run from the lighthouse, and around to the other side of the cliff, and bends over, leaning on his knees and trying to catch his breath.

No _way_ is he doing that for Ronaldo.

The sound of cheerful whistling reaches his ears, and Peedee glances up to see Steven walking towards him. He looks over his shoulder at the temple realizing he stopped right in front of Steven’s home.

Might as well say hello.

"Hey Steven." He smiles widely at Steven, who stops and beams at Peedee.

"Oh, Hey Peedee! What are you doing here?"

Peedee laughs weakly. "Hiding from my brother." He sighs, crossing his arms and looking up at the lighthouse. "He was trying to dress me as a "polymorphic sentient rock" for "demonstration purposes". I'll do a lot for Ronaldo, but I have to draw the line somewhere."

Steven tilts his head to the side. "Huh. I wouldn't know. I'm an only child. Are siblings always like that?"

"Yeah. I mean, it varies, but they usually always annoy each other. Uhm…" Peedee stares at the ground, fidgeting. He bites his lip, and looks back up at the still smiling Steven. "Didn't your mom… pass when you were born?"

"She gave up her physical form." Steven says matter-of-factly like that _isn’t_ entirely weird.

Peedee blinks several times. "Riiiight." He pauses, frowning slightly. "Man, I don't really know anything about your mom. I don't even know her name..."

"Her name was Rose Quartz." Steven grins brightly at Peedee. "She had really big pink curly hair, and wore a white dress with a star shaped hole to show her gem. And she loved everything and everyone. And she cared for the Earth using her plant magic. And protected all sorts of people with her shield."

Peedee is dead silent for a moment, just staring at Steven.

Steven grins. "Well, see you later Peedee! Best of luck with Ronaldo!" He runs up the stairs and goes to his house, and Peedee is still silent for several moments.

"Is... Is that it?" He bites his lip, frowning at the ground. "That... doesn't sound like a person! That sounds more like a character from a fairytale!" He looks up at the house, frowning. "Is that all he knows about his mom?"

Thinking over that, and the implications that Steven knows almost nothing about his own mother, Peedee makes his way home, and sinks onto his couch next to his dad.

"Are you okay Son? You seem troubled." He puts a gentle hand on Peedee’s shoulder.

He looks up at his dad, frowning. "Dad, what can you tell me about Rose Quartz?"

He blinks several times, looking shocked. "She was... Uhhh... A Veteran? I think? Where is this coming from?"

Peedee frowns. A veteran? That… doesn’t really mesh with the fairytale character Steven described. "Of what war?"

"I dunno. I just know that she was some kinda army general or something." He shrugs.

"An army general…" Peedee’s brow furrows as he stares down his dad. "Who wore a pretty white dress and cared for the whole of Earth and nature?"

"Hey, son, I sell fries and fry-related foodstuffs. If you want gossip, go talk to the cool kids."

"But Dad, it just doesn't make sense!" Peedee throws his hands to the side, staring at his father.

"Son, all of Steven's…" He pauses, frowning. "...Family on his mother's side kept to themselves. I mean, the purple one stopped by for fries every now and again, but I rarely SAW any of them."

"Well, if they're so secretive…" Peedee lets out a slow breath. "Do you... You don't think they're withholding information from Steven about his mom, do you?"

"Nah." He shakes his head. "They're private, but they’re good folks. They wouldn't do that. But... That's not to say Steven's getting the whole story."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, son... When people pass on, their loved ones tend to remember the good, more so than the bad." He sighs. "Sure they never FORGET the negative stuff. But, unless that person had nothing good about them, they'll usually only bring up the good things when they remember them. And, sometimes, the bad starts to fade away, and eventually, all you have left is the good. Sure, it isn't exactly a lie, but it isn't really the whole story, either."

"So… loved ones can start to sound like… fairytale versions of themselves?"

"I guess. Could you tell me where this is coming from Peedee?"

"No time Dad!" Peedee jumps to his feet and runs back out of the house, and back to the lighthouse, almost running headlong into Ronaldo as he walks out the door.

"Ah! Look who’s come running back! Well, it’s too late! I dressed a model skeleton I had sitting around from Halloween for my video." Ronaldo pushes past Peedee, walking home.

"Ronaldo I-"

"You missed out on participating in a _great_ docu-web-a-mentry. And Skelly was TERRIBLE as a Polymorphic Sentient Rock! So I hope you’re happy!"

"Skelly? You named you- Oh, that’s not important! Rona-"

"I mean, I had to move her myself! And it was ridiculous, but I made it work! But it would have been MUCH easier had you stuck around to help me Peedee!"

"I help you all the time! I did all the camera work for the last video you made for your blog!"

"Well, I wanted your help as on-screen talent!" Ronaldo pulls out his phone. "I mean, you totally flaked out on me!"

"You tried to tape a rock to my face!"

Ronaldo starts typing something, murmuring the words under his breath. "I… made… a great… websclusive documentary… on polymorphic sentient… rocks… but… my brother… is… totally… lame…"

Peedee scoffs, crossing his arms. "Ugh. Look, Ronaldo, can you help me with something?"

Ronaldo doesn’t even look up from his phone, still typing. "I'm _busy_ Peedee. Besides, you just totally flaked out on helping me."

"Oh come on!" Peedee stomps his foot. "I help you with your stuff all the time Ronaldo! You owe me!"

Ronaldo still doesn’t look up. "Another time Peedee. I'm writing a blog post."

"But... but..." He pauses, thinking carefully. "But Ronaldo, I want your help investigating something _weird_ in Beach City."

Ronaldo looks up immediately, and it’s clear that Peedee got his attention. "I'm listening." He says slowly, staring expectantly at his little brother, his hands going dead silent as he stops typing completely.

Peedee grins. "I want to learn more about the enigma that is Rose Quartz."

Ronaldo’s face falls, and he looks disappointed. "That's _lame_ Peedee. She was tall and had big pink hair. That's all there really is to it. She didn't _do_ anything."

Peedee frowns, thinking quickly on how to keep Ronaldo interested. "Ah! But can you be so sure? She's Steven's mom, and Steven's family is like... _inherently_ weird! And it's a mystery! Wouldn't it be interesting to write an exposé on your blog about who exactly is the former leader of the enigmatic Crystal Gems?"

Ronaldo gasps, holding up a hand in Peedee’s face. "Shush, Peedee! I just had a great idea! I'll write an all-revealing article for my blog about the weirdness of the Crystal Gems and their mysterious former leader!"

Peedee sighs, putting his hand on his forehead. "That's... what I just sa-"

Ronaldo gasps, grabbing Peedee’s shoulders. "Peedee! You've got to help me! There's a lot of people to question!"

"... Yeah, okay." Peedee sighs, deciding it just _not_ worth it to try and argue that this was _his_ idea.

"We’ll need to question everyone who’d old enough to remember her!"

"Yeah, uhm, yeah." He glances around, realizing that they stopped right in front of the currently closed fry shop. "Ronaldo, you do realize that we’re not working today, right?"

"Of course I realized that! I… was going to Fish Stew Pizza!"

"Well, I guess we could start by questioning Kofi Pizza. Maybe Jenny and Kiki, though they probably wouldn’t know any more than you do."

"Jenny is popular!"

"... Yes, yes she is Ronaldo." Peedee rolls his eyes, and walks to Fish Stew Pizza, Ronaldo following him.

They walk into the pizza place, and Ronaldo pushes past Peedee to talk to Kofi first, pulling out a notepad and pen as he does so. "Greetings Mr. Pizza, we’d like to ask you a few questions for an article on my blog." He loudly clears his throat. "What do you know about the woman who was known as Rose Quartz? Like, anything particularly _weird_ about her?"

"Rose Quartz? I don’t know who that is!"

Peedee snatches the pad and pen from Ronaldo. "Give me those!"

Ronaldo. "Ah, so you want to be my scribe. Alright! Good initiative Peedee! You might make a good weirdprentice after all!"

Peedee sighs, resisting the urge to roll his eyes, and smiles at Kofi. "Steven’s mother? She was married to Greg Universe."

"Oh. Right. Her. I can’t say I know much ‘bout her. Her and her… people kept to themselves mostly, though they were all strange."

"Do you think either of your daughters would know more?" Peedee smiles hopefully, but those hopes are quickly dashed by Kofi shaking his head.

"No. Sorry, they probably wouldn’t."

Peedee sighs, noting down that Kiki and Jenny are likely a bust. "Are you _sure_ you don’t know anything? Anything at all?"

"Child, who do you think you be talkin' to? I sell delicious pizza to people who want it. If they don't want delicious pizza, they are not my problem."

"That..." Peedee sighs, hanging his head. "Thanks anyways. Sorry to waste your time. Let’s go Rona-"

"I might be able to help you child." Nanafua cuts Peedee off, coming out from the kitchen.

Peedee blinks in surprise. "Nanafua Pizza? You knew Rose?"

"Did you know anything _weird_ about her?" Ronaldo asks, grinning.

"Dat’s right!" Nanafua says, ignoring Ronaldo. "Probably more than most people in the City. I remember meeting Rose for the first time, when I was even younger then you are now."

"How'd you meet?" Peedee readies himself to write, smiling widely at Nanafua. He hadn’t expected a lead this quickly.

"When I was very young, and very reckless, I disobeyed my father and went out to play on the beach during a biiiig storm. I didn't think it would hurt me, because I was small and foolish. But, while I was playing in the muddy sand, a huge wave came up behind me, and came CRASHING down on me! Or, it should have, if a big pink shield hadn't come up, and beat back the wave."

"Rose." Peedee smiles at her.

She smiles back, before continuing her story. "She was so tall, and strong. At first, I thought she was an angel, sent to help me. Then she turned and introduced herself, and I will never forget those words: 'Hello little one. Are you harmed?' Her voice was like a choir, and from that day forward I was forever in debt to her and her kindness."

"Oh! So that means you and her were good friends, right?" Peedee asks slowly, hope rising.

"Well... No, not exactly. See, I knew Rose for decades. I greeted her, I talked to her, I respected her. But... She never changed her attitude towards me. She learned my name, yes, but it always felt like 'little one' had just been replaced by it. She talked like I was just somebody, never somebody to her. It was like... Like she'd done it before, like I wasn't myself, like there were THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of Nanafuas before me, and after me, and I was just another anchovy on the pizza."

Peedee lets out a slow breath, frowning slightly. "So, she disrespected you."

Nanafua shakes her head. "No, no, not that either. It's just... She was far away. Even when she was close, and she acted like she knew you, you felt like you barely knew her."

Peedee writes key details of her story down, biting his lip. "… Thanks Nanafua, I think you gave me somewhere to start."

"Now don't go tinkin' this means I didn't like Rose. She was a beautiful woman, with a beautiful heart. But there was more to her than that. She was deeper than anyone knew, deeper than maybe even she would admit. If you be wantin' to find out who Rose Quartz is, I'm thinking you'll be having lots of work to do child. I hope you're ready for dat'"

"I have to be. For Steven's sake, if no one else's"

Nanafua smiles warmly at Peedee. "You do good child. And good luck."

Peedee nods, and he and Ronaldo leave Fish Stew Pizza.

"Peedee! Do you know what this means!?" Ronaldo grins.

"That Rose isn’t as perfect as people say?"

"That she’s SUPER old! Maybe she’s an elf! Oh! That would make Steven a half-elf!"

"… Ronaldo, the Gems have been around as long as _anyone_ can remember. Like… weren’t they even in that play about the founding of Beach City?"

"Details Peedee! That was proof!"

"Ronaldo, if you don’t talk while I’m interviewing people I’ll buy you a baker's dozen from the big donut."

"… Deal."

"Just… I know you have more than one note pad. Take notes. Help me figure this out once we’re done."  Peedee, looks around the boardwalk, spotting the Funland Arcade. "Maybe we should ask Mr. Smiley? I mean, Funland is on the Beach, though the other side from the temple…" He frowns.

Ronaldo looks around. "Why not ask the mail lady?" He points at Barbara Miller walking nearby, and Peedee shrugs, going along with it.

"Hello Ms. Miller." Peedee smiles at her, clicking his pen, and readying himself to write any info down. "I was wondering if you could tell me anything about Rose Quartz."

"Rose Quartz? Well, geeze, no not really. I didn’t really know her, but I guess she was real nice. Not a soul ever had a bad thing to say about her." She shrugs.

Peedee frowns, unclicking his pen. "Nothing bad? _Ever?_ That seems…"

"Never. As far as I’m aware, she was perfect. Ah, I better get on in my route. Have a nice day boys! Tell your dad I said hi."

"Okay Ms. Miller…" Peedee sighs. "Ugh, that was totally unhelpful. ‘She was perfect’ tells us nothing!"

"Maybe she never actually existed at all and her supposed existence is just a conspiracy by all the adults of the town!"

"… Ronaldo, _you_ remember her. When I asked for your help you _immediately_ described her." Peedee rolls his eyes. "Besides, if she didn’t exist, who was Steven’s mother?"

"Well… what if the version I saw was a HOLOGRAM! Oh! Oh! Or a Polymorphic Sentient Rock _pretending_ to be a person! And! And! And Steven is _half_ -polymorphic Sentient Rock!"

"Riiiiight." Peedee shakes his head and trudges onward, wondering who to ask next.

Again, his brother chooses for him, in what can only be a poor attempt at flirting, as he shouts a hello over at Sadie- who was walking with Lars- and waves her over.

The two walk over, and Peedee sighs. Well, teenagers aren’t likely to know much, but he might as well ask the pair.

"Hello Ronaldo." Sadie smiles at him, and Lars scoffs.

"Hey, Sadi-" Peedee holds up a hand to Ronaldo, cutting off his attempt to be coy.

"Ah. Remember our agreement." He lowers his hand, satisfied that Ronaldo will stay quiet. "Sadie, Lars, do either of you know anything about Rose Quartz?"

"And will you be at the Big Donut later?" Ronaldo interjects, much to his brother’s ire.

"Ronaldo!" Peedee snaps glaring up at him. "What did I say!?"

"What, if it’s not open, what good is our deal?"

Sadie chuckles. "Yeah. We were on our way there right now." She pause. "Rose Quartz? Steven’s mom?"

Peedee nods silently, and Lars scoffs.

"She was probably just as weird as Steven." He crosses his arms, scowling.

"That’s what I’m hoping for!" Ronaldo says excitedly, but quickly shuts up under his little brother’s fierce glare.

"I… can’t say I really know too much about Steven’s mom. I saw her a few times when I was little, but…" Sadie frowns. "I don’t really know anything about her. _Steven_ doesn’t know much about her… Sorry."

"Yeah. Uhm. Well. Lars, do you actually know anything?"

"Only what Steven’s told me." He mutters, glaring at the ground.

"… What did Steven tell you?"

"Uhm… that she saw beauty in everything." Lars looks pointedly away. "We need to get going. Our break ends in like…  five minutes."

Sadie smiles apologetically. "Sorry Ronaldo, Peedee. Lars is right. We really ought to get going. See you later!"

The two walk off, and Peedee sighs. "Just more of the same. Come on, let’s go find Mr. Smiley."

They find him just down the street at the Funland Arcade Standing behind the counter, as usual, busying himself with the reordering of some prizes

"Hello Mr. Smiley!" Peedee runs up to him, Ronaldo trailing behind. "Can you tell me anything about Steven’s mom, Rose Quartz?"

Mr. Smiley turns towards Peedee, grinning widely. "You want to know about Steven's mom?

"Yes. Funland is the only establishment on the bay side of the beach and I thought maybe the Crystal Gems were on this side of the Beach more often, so I was wondering if you'd ever seen Rose to any degree."

"Well, all told, I probably saw her the most out of most of the city for a while, but that…" He chuckles. "Isn't saying much. She and Greg used to swing by funland every couple of weeks to go on some amusement park rides during their ‘Lovey-dovey’ phase, but other than that, I never saw her much."

"Could you tell us anything about her that was inherently WEIRD?" Ronaldo asks, lifting his notepad in excitement.

Mr. Smiley laughs, as if Ronaldo’s question was inherently ridiculous. "Other than the fact that she was 8 feet tall and magic?"

Ronaldo glances down at his notepad, and back up at Mr. Smiley. "Uhh…"

Peedee sighs, running his hands through his hair. "Ronaldo, what did we discuss?"

"… don't disrupt you and I get a baker's dozen from the big donut?"

Peedee nods. "Disrupt me again, and the offer is officially rescinded."

"I'll be quiet"

"Now, where were we?" Peedee looks back to Mr. Smiley. "Oh, right. Can you tell us anything about Rose as a person?"

Mr. Smiley shakes his head. "Not really kid. The girl was larger than life, in every sense of the word. Her laugh was like a wind chime, her smile brightened the room, she was like having a little piece of the sun on the boardwalk."

Peedee pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. "So… What you're saying is, you have nothing to say about her besides 'she was perfect'? More of the same." He sighs, his disappointment clear.

Mr. Smiley’s smile turns sad. "Sorry smallfry, I got nothing. Although… There may actually be one thing."

Peedee perks up, getting excited again. "Really? What is it?"

Mr. Smiley chuckles at Peedee’s enthusiasm. "The girl was a beast at poker."

"…Come again?" He blinks several times, just staring at Mr. Smiley.

"Well, you see, Funland wasn't always just an arcade and amusement park. For a good decade into its existence, it was a also small-time casino. Now, I had to re-renovate after the local by-laws changed and I lost my gambling license, but for a time, Funland was its own little gambling kingdom, right here on the boardwalk. And Rose Quartz… Was the queen of the castle."

"She played poker well?" He quickly jots that down, eagerly awaiting more info from Mr. Smiley.

"'Well' don't do it justice son." Mr. Smiley throws back his head, laughing. "She came here every other week and played while Greg tried his hand at some arcade games, and she KILLED. I watched that women play for almost half a decade, and not ONCE could I tell you whether or not she was bluffing. I'd seen pros, veterans, and wannabe poker stars walk through there time and time again, and every last one of them was stumped by that woman and her Sunday night poker game." He shakes his head, smiling wistfully. "She never used anything to help her either. No hats, no mirrored shades, no nothing. Just a stone-cold expression, and a knowing smirk that made you feel like she had a knife to your back."

"So…" Peedee’s pen stills, and he looks up at Mr. Smiley.  "What you're saying is, she was very good at lying?"

"Kid, I'm telling you she could convince the rain that it was on fire." He smirks. "Everyone always took her statements and words at face value; they trusted her dearly, like she was beyond reproach. But, seeing the way she could just… Play with people like that? I always stayed skeptical." He shakes his head. "…Did I help kid? I know I tend to ramble when I get nostalgic."

"Well…" Peedee adds one last note on his notepad before looking up at Mr. Smiley. "You actually helped more than most. Thanks, Mr. Smiley."

Mr. Smiley beams. "Anytime Peedee. And always be sure to stop by Funland whenever you've got the time!" He grabs something from behind the ticket counter. "Here, take this free complimentary ticket storage belt!"

Peedee stares at the ‘ticket storage belt’ he was just handed. "This… Is just a fanny pack with your face on it. But, uh, thanks. See you later, Mr. Smiley!"

"Y'all come back now, ya'hear?"

They walk away, and seconds after they’re out of earshot of Mr. Smiley Ronaldo starts theorizing. "She’s definitely mysterious! A skilled liar! I posit that she _was_ a polymorphic sentient rock, and was sent here ahead of her people to scope out the earth ahead of time and she posed as an all-loving heroine to throw anyone who might suspect her off!"

"… Riiiiiight." Peedee crosses his arms, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at his brother. "Now who else might know something…" He taps his foot thinking carefully. "Ah ha! Ronaldo, we’re going to go get a political interview!"

"We are?"

"Oh come on!" The two go to the office of Mayor Dewey, to ask him if he knows anything about Rose. The two are escorted to his office, and Peedee takes a breath, composing himself before they go in.

He walks into the Mayor’s office with a bright smile. "Hello Mayor Dewey."

Mayor Dewey looks up from some paperwork on his desk. "Oh. Uhm. Hello fry boys."

"Mayor Dewey, as you are the Mayor of our town, I thought you might be able to tell me a bit about one of Beach Cities former residents. Rose Quartz." Peedee smiles again, hoping Mayor Dewey will be helpful.

"Rose Quartz?" He frowns, looksing puzzled for a moment. That’s not promising. "Big pink hair? Reeeeaaaally tall? Spent a lot of time with Steven's... Sisters? Guardians?"

Peedee’s hopes are totally dashed at this point.  "… She was Steven's mom."

"And of course I knew that!" Mayor Dewey laughs nervously, and forces a smile. "Well, uhm, Pearl had a thing for her."

Peedee blinks in surprise that he actually had anything to note, as he seemed confused about who she even was at first. "... Duly noted." He says slowly, and noting it down on his notepad.  "Anything else?"

The Mayor frowns. "…Weird problems got handled a lot faster when she was around."

"Is... is that all?" Peedee asks slowly, hoping that the answer is "No".

"Well... uh." He fiddles with the papers on his desk before continuing. "She... Pearl _really_ had a thing for her?"

"You... already said that, sir."

Ronaldo cuts in, looking down at his brother. "May I ask a question?"

Peedee sighs, and turns toward her brother. "Are you just going to ask if he knows anything weird?"

Ronaldo bites his lip. "... Uhhh. Maybe?"

"No. No you can't." Peedee rolls his eyes, and looks back to the Mayor.

"Darn." Ronaldo mutters under his breath.

"Are you sure you don't know any more, Mayor Dewey?"

"... No, I don't. Terribly sorry, but have a pin." He grabs a 'Elect Mayor Dewey’ pin from his desk drawer and shoves it into Peedee’s hands.

Staring at the pin shoved into his hands, Peedee sighs. "...Thanks, Mayor Dewey. See you later."

"Uhhh… Wait, hold on there son."

Peedee stops abruptly in his leaving, and turns back around to the Mayor. "What? Do you have something else?"

"Well..." Mayor Dewey looks uncomfortable, fiddling with the papers on his desk again. "As the mayor, I am no stranger to scathing editorials. I am also no stranger to the concept and value of keeping secrets."

"I KNEW IT!" Ronaldo shouts. "Where are they!? Where are you hiding the sneople base!?"

"The... Huh?" Mayor Dewey blinks, visibly confused.

"Ronaldo! What did we discuss!?" Peedee sighs. "And I thought you’d given up on sneople…"

"The truth cannot be silenced!" Ronaldo shouts, throwing his arms into the air. Mayor Dewey’s bodyguards grab him and drag out him out of the room, "You'll hear about this! ON MY BLOOOOOG!" The door slams shut.

After a moment, Peedee looks back to Mayor Dewey. "…Please. Continue."

"Ahem. Yes, well. You see, I may not know much about Rose, but I do know how much she meant to the people of the city, how much they loved her and respected her. And that... Worries me." He frowns, staring at his desk.

"Why?"

"Because..." Mayor Dewey sighs. "Because nobody's perfect, son. Not even magical space ladies. As a member of politics, I learned pretty fast that the seeming perfection of a person is inversely proportional to how many secrets they have hidden away inside. That doesn't mean they're bad people, necessarily. It's just that the more someone seems to be perfect... The less they actually are. You're a smart kid Fryman, and I can tell your editorial is going to be scathing. I just want you to know that you're going to find something unpleasant, I can feel it in my political gut. And I just want you to be ready for that. And I want you to go easy on her, because no matter what you find, she means a lot to a lot of people. The people may have a right to know, but they don't need to be left broken-hearted. Do you understand what I'm saying son?"

Peedee nods slowly. "Yeah…" He lets out a slow breath. "I think I do. But I make no promises. Steven is being lied to, I can feel it, and I _cannot_ let it stay that way, for better or for worse."

Mayor Dewey sighs, smiling slightly at Peedee. "You're a Pulitzer prize waiting to happen boy. Godspeed."

Peedee nods and leaves the Mayor’s office, meeting back up with his sulking brother just outside the building.

"What did he say after I was dragged out?" Ronaldo asks as they start to walk down the street.

"Not to trust her because no one is that perfect, but to be careful because of people’s feelings."

"No secret bases?"

Peedee sighs. "No secret bases."

"Darn."

"Let’s go. I have more questions now than I started with…"

"More questions about what?"

Peedee skids to a stop, and turns to look at Buck Dewey, Sour Cream, and Jenny Pizza. "Oh. Hello Buck. Jenny. Sour Cream." He sighs, and answers Buck’s question. "Rose Quartz. I’m trying to find out more about her."

"That’s Steven’s mom, right?" Jenny asks, leaning against a wall.

"Yes. Do you know anything?"

"All I know about Steven’s Mom is that some people tried to kidnap him into space because they thought he was his mom, and he kinda is? And like, that he thinks the gems blame him for her being gone? I dunno." Jenny shrugs. "It all sounds crazy."

Peedee turns to Ronaldo, lifting a hand. "Not. ONE. Word." He lets out a slow breath. "Do you guys know anything else?"

Buck shakes his head, and Peedee expects more of the same from Sour Cream, but that’s not what he gets.

" _I_ don’t really know much about her, _but_ you should ask my mom. She probably know, like, a lot. She used to be friends with Steven’s dad and Amethyst."

"…  You… might have just given me my best lead yet Sour Cream! Thanks!" Peedee bolts off, Ronaldo running after him.

Before long, they reach Sour Cream’s house and Peedee rapts on the door excitedly.

After a moment a woman with an oddly-shaped mess of hair opens the door. "Hello?"

"Hi! Are you Sour Cream’s mom?"

"… As a matter of fact I am. I’m Vidalia. Who exactly are you two?"

"I’m Peedee Fryman, and this is my older brother Ronaldo Fryman. We’re investigating Rose Quartz, and your son said you would be able to help me!"

"Rose Quartz? Oh, certainly. Come in, come in." She motions both in and leads them to the couch where they sit.

Once properly seated, Peedee readies his pad and smiles at Vidalia. "What's something specific you can tell me about Rose?"

"Well, Pearl had a MAD crush on her the whole time." Vidalia laughs lightly, leaning back in her chair.

"I already know that. Something else?" He readies his pen, still excited about the potential information he could get from Vidalia.

"Well... See, that's the thing. I could tell you a lot of things that Rose _did_ and _said_ , I could tell you her favourite music, her favourite dance, her sense of humour, all that jazz…" She steeple her fingers, staring at Peedee with raised eyebrows. "But ask me to _describe_ her? To define what is and isn't Rose Quartz? That... That's a bit beyond me."

"What do you mean?" He clicks his pen several times, just staring at Vidalia.

"It's just... She was so PERFECT. You know?"

Peedee’s eyes narrow, and after a moment he sighs. "I've gathered that, yes."

"But…" She pauses, staring at the floor. "Deep down, you knew it was an act, at least partly. She just... It felt like she had a routine. Like her attitude was this mask she'd crafted and mastered decades before you were even born, and trying to see past it was like trying to see through lead."

Peedee leans back into the couch cushion. "I’ve… heard things along those lines… Do you think anyone really knew her?" He lets out a slow breath. "And if so, could you point me to them?"

"Well… Pearl always acted like she knew her best." She pauses. "But, you want my honest opinion?"

Peedee nods vigorously.

Vidalia leans forward towards Peedee and Ronaldo. "The tall one."

"Garnet? Why her?" Peedee leans forward, hanging on every syllable coming from Vidalia’s mouth.

"Because, out of everyone that knew Rose personally, who showered her in constant praise day in and day out, she was the only one who ever kept her mouth shut." She leans back in her chair again, smirking. "If you want someone with the real story, you should always go for the quiet one, because they listen the best. My opinion? You get through to Garnet, you'll get your story. Or at least as much as you can get without raising the dead."

Peedee nods slowly. "Okay. I'll try talking to Mr. Universe, then Garnet, if I have to."

"Greg's probably a good bet. And you'll likely get answers out of him fairly easily. Guy always was a sucker for a compelling narrative. Garnet would be a harder sell, but she's your story if you have nothing to show after Greg. Good luck kid, something tells me you've got a bigger purpose here than even you think."

"... I'm trying to get answers for Steven."

Vidalia smiles warmly at him. "And never was there a nobler cause."

Peedee nods, and the brothers leave Vidalia’s home and make their way to It’s a Wash.

The walk up to Greg Universe leaning against his van.

Peedee smiles at his friend’s dad. "Hello Mr. Universe."

He jolts, standing up straight and smiling awkwardly at Peedee. "Oh, hello Peedee. It's been a while since I've seen you around here.” He glances toward the lighthouse. “Steven's not here. You just missed him by a few minutes. He's probably at the temple."

Peedee shakes his head. "I'm not here for Steven. I wanted to ask you a few questions about your late wife, Rose, if that would be okay with you?"

Greg blinks several times.  "... Uhm."

"I... Realize how weird that sounds.” Peedee smiles apologetically. “But I'm trying to get a concise idea of who she was. And, after the town proved... Spotty, at best, I thought you'd be the best person to ask next."

Greg sighs, putting his hand on his forehead. "You're doing this for Steven, aren't you?"

"Well, I, uh…” Peedee laughs nervously. “Yeah."

"Look, I really can't help you.” He sighs, leaning against his van again. “This is a private matter, and I really don't feel comfortable pouring my heart out to someone who isn't even family, even if you and Steven have been friends since you were little."

"But Steven has a right to know!" Peedee crosses his arms, frowning and trying to hide his surprise at how uncooperative Mr. Universe is being.

Greg sighs. "But it's not my right to tell him."

Peedee’s brow furrows. "What do you mean?” He shakes his head, disbelief clear on his face. “You're his dad, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah. But Rose was always... Bigger than just me. No pun intended. She was... Amazing. And it was a blessing that I got to know her as long as I did. But her values? Her flaws? Who she was as a person? I'm not the person to ask. I was her husband, Peedee. No one is going to have a more biased and subjective opinion of her than me.” He pauses. “Well, maybe one other person... But regardless. Rose was a great women, who did many great things. Things I still struggle to comprehend fully. If you want the complete and honest truth of who Rose was, then you're better off asking someone else. I'm sorry Peedee."

Peedee sighs. "It's okay, Mr. Universe. But, at the very least I know where to go next. Thanks anyways."

Greg stands up straight again. "Wait, Peedee, before you go..."

Peedee stops dead in his tracks, looking over his shoulder at Greg. "Yes?"

"...Rose was good. She was a good person, and she helped people. She gave up _everything_ to ensure the safety of Earth, and she did so out of the goodness of her heart. Whatever you find out, and whatever conclusions you draw, remember that Rose Quartz wasn't just some enigmatic giant. She was a mother, and a wife... And a hero."

"...But she was so much more.” Peedee murmurs, then turns back around to face Greg. “Wasn't she?"

"Just... Try to remember her fondly. Please?"

Peedee sighs, kicking at the ground. "Just as soon as I can remember her at all."

"Aw geeze..." Greg mutters, and Peedee leaves towards the temple, his brother trailing after in silence.

At least for a few moments.

“He felt the need to remind us that she was good? Ooo! What if she used to be like… an evil dictator!”

“Shut up Ronaldo.” Peedee mutters, not even bothering to play along with his brother this time. “Just get ready to take _A LOT_ of notes, because I imagine that Garnet will give us an awful lot of info.”

“Okaaay, Peedee…”

The reach the other side of the cliff, stopping at the base of the stairs up to Steven’s house.

"Well, this is the place.” He looks up at Steven’s house and sighs. “Man, what am I doing? _Steven_ doesn't know where Garnet is half the time. The heck are _WE_ supposed to find her?"

A loud rumbling sound comes from beneath the beach, _quickly_ followed by Garnet bursting up and out of the ground below in a spray of sand, before landing on her feet in front of Peedee and Ronaldo.

Both brothers shout in surprise. "GAAAH!"

"Garnet! Why did you just explode through the Beach like that!?" Peedee asks after he collects himself.

"Because I make that look good." She pushes up her visor.

"O...kaaaaaay.” Peedee says slowly, before shaking himself. “I was, uhm, wondering if you would answer some of my-"

“I know what you're here for." Garnet says, cutting him off.

"Oh, so, uh, you know what I'm going to ask, then?" Peedee smiles nervously.

Garnet shakes her head. "No. That one has too many variables."

"....Huh?” He shakes himself, internally chastising himself for getting distracted. “Anyway, listen I really wanted to ask you. What do you remember about Rose Quartz?"

"......Everything."

"Really?” Peedee perks up excitedly, raising his notepad. “So you can tell me everything you know?"

"...No."

"What? Why not?" He unclicks his pen, clearly crestfallen.

"Because 'everything I know' would take longer than you have days of summer break left. And that's cutting it short." Garnet says flatly.

"Oh right.” Peedee murmurs. “You guys are old."

"Turtles are old, Peedee. Gems are eternal. Rose Quartz has a history spanning back before written language, before humans even knew how to craft tools and make fire. If you wanted to know everything about Rose Quartz, we'd be here for weeks."

"I don't want to know _everything_ about Rose Quartz, I just want to know who she was!"

"…Those are the same thing."

“Huh?” Peedee bites his lip. “W-what do you mean."

"It is what happens in the past that define us. They don't automatically make us who we are, but they're still important. We are all greater than the sum of our parts, but the sum of our parts is still important. Rose Quartz lived a long and complicated life, I'd do it injustice by trying to explain it."

"So you can't tell me anything?" Peedee sighs, obviously disappointed.

"Depends on what you want to know."

"Was she nice?"

Garnet is silent for a moment. "...She cared about the Earth."

Peedee sighs. More of the same. "Was she truthful?"

"Everyone lies, it's just a matter of what they lie about."

Peedee sighs. Could she be any more cryptic? "Was she who she appeared to be?"

After a long moment Garnet shakes her head. "… No."

"Then who was she!?" Peedee asks, with a little too much enthusiasm.

"… More."

Peedee blinks in confusion. "More?"

“More than what she appeared to be. Not better, not worse, but more. Rose Quartz grew and changed throughout her life, as we all do. And she changed as she grew. But, while she turned into a very different person near the end of her life, no one is completely immune to their past. I just don't want you to hold that against her, because that's not who she was.”

Peedee frowns. "...Then why do you lie to Steven?"

Garnet sighs. "…Steven… Wasn't ready to know everything. But he's getting older, and we can't hide everything from him forever."

"Why hide anything from him at all?" Peedee crosses his arms, staring hard at Garnet.

Garnet is silent, and though her eyes aren’t visible behind her visor, it’s clear she’s evenly meeting Peedee’s stare. “…Because we're scared.” She lets out a slow breath. “Scared of what he'd think of his mother, what he'd think of us, if he was told the truth without context.”

"And what about the context of you hiding everything from him for so long?"

Garnet sighs. "That... Will be our burden when it comes to that."

"I... Know why you're doing this, but nobody's perfect, and you can't keep lying to yourself that Rose was this fairytale princess that could do no wrong. And you definitely can't keep lying to Steven." Peedee uncrosses his arms.

"…I know." Garnet sighs.

“…Thanks, Garnet.” Peedee smiles.

"I'd feel bad letting you know any more before Steven does. If you want more information, you'll need to look for yourself."

Peedee nods. “I think… I think I'll do just that."

Garnet smirks. "I know. I'd say good luck, but you won't need it."

Peedee smiles. "Thanks... I think. Goodbye!"

Garnet nods. "See ya."

The two walk away from the Beach, and halfway home Peedee stops. “You go on home Ronaldo, I’m going to try and find more.”

“You sure Peedee? Investigative work can get craaaaazy. I can st-”

“Yes!” Peedee cuts across his brother. “I’m sure. Just, tell Dad I’m hanging out with Steven.”

“You… want me to _lie_ for you?” Ronaldo asks in shock. “ _YOU_ want me to lie to _Dad_?”

“I am going back to Steven’s, so it’s not a lie.”

“… Oh. Well, okay then. See you later Peedee.”

Ronaldo walks away, and Peedee turns and walks back the way he came.

Days pass and Peedee spends every bit of his free time investigating; traveling all over the world- using the Warp Whistle Steven lent him- for his research. Days pass and, before long, Peedee Fryman has gone further towards the truth of the Crystal Gems than any human ever has.

It is almost a week later that Ronaldo walks into the lighthouse, curious to see what his brother has discovered. "Uh, hey Peedee, how's it goi- WOAH!" He looks around frantically, boggled at the pictures and documents taped up all around the lighthouse, and the papers littering the floor. "What _IS_ all this? And where's my board of conspiracy?"

Peedee looks up from his spot sitting on the floor, surrounded by photos, and with a hefty book in hand. The boy look at the same time incredibly tired, and unimaginably determined. "This is my evidence. And your board is over there."He lazily gestures to a corner of the room, where the board is leaning haphazardly against the wall. "It was getting in the way.”

"Not cool, man!” Ronaldo scoffs, crossing his arms. “You can't just disrespect a dude's conspiracy board like that! I- Wait. What are you working on?” He crouches down, looking at everything scattered around Peedee. “Hey! That's my book!"

Peedee flips through the book titled _The Nature of Crypto-Etymology_ silently for a moment, before looking up at Ronaldo. "Hm? Oh yeah, I borrowed it, sorry."

Ronaldo shakes his head."Why?"

"Well, I mean, you _did_ just leave it in a closet to rot away." Peedee mutters absentmindedly.

"It didn't have pictures! Sue me!” He pauses. “…What are you using it for, anyways?"

"To go deeper.” Peedee picks up one of the pictures and quickly flips through the book. “I realized pretty quickly that we weren’t getting anywhere with the people of the city. And Garnet's statement clued me in on something important. Gems are _IMMORTAL_ , Ronaldo, they've been alive for **_MILLENNIA_ **. And, if I want answers, I'm going to have to look to the past. FAR into the past"

"Okaaaaaaay.” Ronaldo stands back up, staring down at his brother warily. “And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

"By translating these" Peedee jumps to his feet and pulls on a projector screen tab, pulling down a _massive_ cloth board, covered in ancient hieroglyphics and translation notes. "I've found them in areas all around the local area, all around the _world_. Steven's been nice enough to let me use his warp pad to check out gem ruins around the Earth, and what I've found is… Interesting so far."

"W-what've you found? Was there a conspiracy!?” Ronaldo pauses, suddenly grinning widely. “Are they trying to destroy the world!?"

"No." Peedee responds flatly, sitting back down and returning to looking through the book,

"Awwwwww…" Ronaldo whines, crossing his arms.

Peedee looks up at his disappointed brother and sighs. "But they were once."

"WHAT!?!" Ronaldo grins, staring with excitement at his brother.

"Ages and ages ago, when humanity was only starting to understand the concept of civilization, the gems landed, their intent being to…” He pauses, thinking over how to word it. “For lack of a better word, _harvest_ the Earth for the resources necessary to build more gems. Through something called a "Kindergarten"."

"Oh man. This is HEAVY. And will make a _great_ post on my blog…” He pauses, blinking several times. “Wait, what stopped it? Was it some brave nomad? A noble savage with a hearty soul, willing to fight back the alien oppressors?"

"No." Peedee gets back to his feet and pulls down a second screen, covered in various depictions of a pink figure wielding a shield, in various art-forms and styles, all of these photos centred around a single picture of Rose Quartz, a digital photo taken of the portrait in Steven's house. "She did."

"Rose? Rose saved the world?" Ronaldo frowns.

Peedee nods, leaning against the wall. "At some point, around the early 100's ACE, Rose Quartz rebelled against the gems, and attempted to stop the Kindergarten project. And she succeeded. But at a heavy cost of life, and not without damaging the planet in other ways."

"So… Are we done then?” Ronaldo tilts his head to the side. “We figured it out, she saved the world. Right? I can see the blog post now. Ancient Alien Warrior saves Earth from her own kind!"

"No!” Peedee shakes his head. “There are still _SO MANY_ questions. Why? How? CONTEXT! I already knew Rose saved the world from the gems, but now all I'm wondering about is the logistics of all of it.” He kicks the wall in frustration. “Even the ancient carvings are weird and vague! There's _ZERO_ mention of who Rose Quartz was before the war. She just sort of showed up one day and had an army behind her. It makes no sense! This doesn't happen! There has to be a reason to follow her into battle, there has to be a beginning! Rose didn't just APPEAR. She had to come from somewhere, she had to be somebody, not just some shining beacon of greatness that everyone should faun over. AARRGH!” He falls back to the floor, pouring over his photos. “There _HAS_ to be more to this! There **_HAS_ ** to be!"

"Peedee, you're… Kind of scaring me."

"Look, would you just get me a whiteboard? I'm gonna need something to draw a timeline of events here."

"…I've created a monster, a glorious, _GLORIOUS_ monster." Ronaldo shakes his head and walks over to the corner with his discarded conspiracy board. “Ugh, Peedee. You totally screwed up my board. I’ve got to reassemble my proof of polymorphic sentient rocks now, since like, it’s half off. Ugh.”

“Your polymorphic sentient rocks aren’t even important right now Ronaldo! I’m on the precipice of something HUGE! I can _feel_ it!”

“They’re aliens sent here to hollow out the Earth with the giant space hand! How is that ever not important?!”

Peedee sighs “… Ronaldo the space hand was more gems coming from their homew-” Peedee stops abruptly. “Wait. Ugh. Okay, that’s just a lucky guess Ronaldo, and there’s no hollowing of the Earth going on!”

“What’s just a lucky guess? What are you talking about?” Ronaldo walks over and sits down next to his brother.

“Well… As it _happens_ , “Polymorphic Sentient Rocks” is an adequate description of Gems…” Peedee mutters, looking over his photos.

“They… well, ugh, I’m not talking about _them_. They don’t serve the Great Diamond Authority.”

Peedee stills and slowly looks up at his brother. “Are… are you secretly a genius Ronaldo?” He grabs a couple photos. “I’ve found countless records of some sort of “Diamond Council”, though the records are inconsistent on whether it had three members or four… I think Rose might have killed one? I’ve found records of one having ‘fallen to the might of Rose Quartz’… Whatever! They _clearly_ rule over Homeworld! It _is_ a Great Diamond Authority!”

Ronaldo grins. “Hah! I’m a genius! I knew it!” He laughs triumphantly, and looks over Peedee’s photos. “What’s that symbol mean? It shows up a bunch in all of the hieroglyphics.” He points at a triangle in one of the photos.

Peedee glances at the photo. “Well, until I saw that one, I _thought_ it was synonymous with the diamond symbol, in that it means ‘leader’, but that one applies it to Rose Quartz- see how it’s right before the rose symbol, then followed by the emblem from Rose’s shield… which includes a triangle. See the only people who ever are referred to with the triangle are the Diamonds- White, Yellow, Blue, and Pink, who fell- and Rose… wait. Pink Diamond…” He glances up at the screen covered in depictions of Rose. “Ronaldo… Rose Quartz is usually a really _light_ pink gem, isn’t it?”

Ronaldo quickly searches on his phone, and nods wordlessly. “Yeah. A lot lighter than that, actually… You don’t think…?”

“I do think.” Peedee smacks his own head in frustration at having not seen it earlier. “Of COURSE! That’s why she so readily had an army. That’s why so many people followed her. She was one of their leaders, and she turned on the other three. Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond.” He lets out a slow breath. “The glyphs almost always mentioned Pink Diamond, but all they said was that she ‘Fell to the might of Rose Quartz.’ I would've never realized that the whole time, they were speaking _METAPHORICALLY_.” He runs his hand through his hair. “I need to talk to Steven! Ronaldo… feel free to write your article now, just… try to stick to the facts, and don’t post it until I say so. Steven follows your blog, and I don’t want him to find out that way.”

Ronaldo nods slowly, and Peedee gathers some of his notes before leaving the lighthouse and walking around to the temple.

He meets Steven while he’s running up the stairs, with Steven walking the other way. They both stop right next to each other.

“Hey! Steven! I figured it ou…”  Peedee trails off, noticing the expression on Steven’s face. “Are… are you okay?”

Steven nods, wiping at his eyes. “I-I’m fine. P-Pearl just told me some things…” He puts on a very forced looking smile. “What were you saying? You figured what out? The thing you needed to warp for?”

Peedee glances down at the notes and photos in his hands. “Well, uhm. Yes. I… I was trying to find out more about your mother… because it seemed like you didn’t know much yourself, and that didn’t seem right, because… well, if if she’s not around, you should know things about your mother…”

Steven blinks several times, then laughs weakly. “That’s really nice of you Peedee. You didn’t need to do that for me.”

“I… I wanted to. It… bothered me how _little_ everyone seemed to know about her.”

Steven nods. “Yeah. It’s strange how no one seemed to really _know_ her…”

“Other than the gems?”

Steven sighs, but doesn’t say anything for a moment. “So… uhm, what did you find out?”

Peedee glances at his notes again, and lets out a slow breath. “Her real name.”

“Pink Diamond.” Steven says it before Peedee can, and Peedeee can only stand speechless as Steven so casually mentions the fact he had poured over hundreds of ancient markings to uncover. Peedee and Steven stand for a moment, both tired in their own ways, before both boys sit down on the stairs, and look out over the ocean, lost in the shared weight of it all. “I… I think there’s more to my mom than any one person could ever know…”


	2. Who is Rose Quartz Part 2

### Who is Rose Quartz?

#### Part 2

Steven hums to himself, walking home.

"Hey Steven." Steven stops suddenly, noticing his friend Peedee standing at the base of the stairs leading up to his house.

He grins at his friend."Oh, Hey Peedee! What are you doing here?"

"Hiding from my brother." He sighs, crossing his arms and looking up towards the top of the temple- presumably towards the lighthouse. "He was trying to dress me as a "polymorphic sentient rock" for "demonstration purposes"." He shudders slightly. "I'll do a lot for Ronaldo, but I have to draw the line somewhere."

"Huh." Steven shrugs. "I wouldn't know. I'm an only child. Are siblings always like that?"

"Yeah. I mean, it varies, but they usually always annoy each other. Uhm…" Peedee frowns, staring at the ground, and shifting his weight from foot to foot. He bites his lip, and looks back up at Steven. "Didn't your mom... pass when you were born?"

"She gave up her physical form." Steven states matter of factly, smiling at Peedee, who frowns uncomfortably at him.

"Riiiight." He fidgets. "Man, I don't really know anything about your mom. I don't even know her name..."

Steven blinks in shock. He doesn’t even know her name? That’s… odd. "Her name was Rose Quartz." He smiles at Peedee."She had really big pink curly hair, and wore a white dress with a star shaped hole to show her gem. And she loved everything and everyone. And she cared for the Earth using her plant magic. And protected all sorts of people with her shield."

Peedee stares at Steven silently.

After a moment of silence Steven grins at Peedee. "Well, see you later Peedee! Best of luck with Ronaldo!" He skips up the stairs and into the house.

"What was fryboy doing here?" Amethyst asks, sitting upside down on the couch.

"It’s Fryman, Amethyst. His name is Peedee Fryman."

"Yeah, whatever." Amethyst turns around upright. "What was he doing here?"

"He was just pausing after running away from his brother. Ronaldo wanted to dress him as a rock."

Amethyst snickers. "Ronaldo is the ‘Snake Person’ guy, isn’t he?"

"The proper terminology is Sneople or Snerson, and not anymore. Now it’s… Polymorphic Rocks, I think." Steven shrugs and sits down on the couch next to Amethyst. "Wanna play a board game?"

"Eh. Steven, most of the games you have are lame." She stands up. "Besides, I got things to do."

"What things?" Steven asks, and Amethyst jumps to her feet.

"Ugh, Amethyst things. In the Amethyst room."

"You… just don’t want to play a game with me." Steven sighs. "You can just say that."

"Uh… Yeah, I definitely don’t want to play one of your lame games. Sorry Steven." She shrugs and goes into her room.

Steven sighs, and flops back on the couch. "Aaaaah. Why does Connie have to have tennis practice today…" He sits back up. "Maybe I can catch Peedee and we can hang out… Though he probably just went to work…" After a moment, a wide grins spreads across his face. "Oh! I know, I’ll go see if Sadie and Lars want to hang out!" He jumps to his feet and runs back out the door.

It’s just a few minutes later that Steven walks in through the front door of the Big Donut, with Sadie sitting alone behind the counter.

"Hey Sadie!"

She looks up. "Hello Steven. We’re not open much longer for right now."

"Did Lars already leave?"

"No, no. He’s in the back restocking." She glances over her shoulder. "At least… He’s supposed to be." She shakes herself. "What can I get you?"

"Well… I actually wanted to hang out." Steven smiles at Sadie. "Everyone is busy."  He sighs, leaning on the counter. "I should have asked Peedee if he wanted to hang out when I saw him, but he’s probably gone to work now…"

"Peedee Fryman?" Sadie shakes her head. "I’ve barely seen him away from the fry stand for a while now."

"He’s… very dedicated to his job." Steven says slowly. "I ran into him by chance outside my house- he was avoiding his brother. We talked about my mom really quick, then I went inside my house… then Amethyst didn’t want to hang out…" He sighs slightly. "So I came here!"

"You talked to him about your mom? That’s… an odd topic." She pauses. "You know, I actually don't know a whole lot about you Mom. I mean… I should remember her to some extent, but other than maybe seeing her once or twice… ever, I’ve got nothing."

Steven blinks several times. "I… Peedee said the same thing! He didn’t even know her name!" He shakes his head with a sigh. "My mom loved everything and everyone. She saw beauty in everything, protected all sorts of people with her shield, and protected all sorts of people with her shield. It’s not that hard to remember."

Sadie frowns. "Is… Is that it?"

"Uh, well, she lead a rebellion against her homeworld to protect the Earth?"

"Steven…" She shakes her head. "That doesn’t sound like a person. That sounds like a storybook character. Do you really not know anything more about her?"

"I… I… I mean, everyone always just says how amazing and kind she was…" Steven frowns. "I think it’s painful for them to talk about her much at all."

"Well, it just doesn’t seem right to just omit her character. Even if they miss her, you have a right to know Steven."

"I…" Steven frowns. "Huh. I never thought about it that way… But, I mean, she sounds perfect. What can there be to learn?"

"Steven, I don’t know exactly what there is to find, but no one is perfect. I know that much."

"... Uhm."

"Sadie!" Lars steps out from the back. "Sadie, it’s time to go." He pauses, glancing at Steven. "Steven, the Big Donut is closed. Come back in an hour."

"He’s not ordering anything Lars, he just wanted to talk."

"I’ll… I’ll just go now Sadie." Steven forces a smile then walks out.

He slowly walks through Beach City, just thinking over the short list of things he knows about his mother over and over.

She was kind.

She was beautiful.

She kept secrets, though she told Pearl more than the others.

She loved everything and everyone.

She was protective of those she cared about.

She saw beauty in everything.

She fought to protect the Earth.

… And that’s it, really.

Steven is jolted out of his thoughts by Jamie the Mailman saying something to him, his voice just barely breaking through the haze of Steven’s concentration.

He shakes himself. "Huh? Oh, hi Jamie. What’d you say?"

"I asked what the long face is for." Jamie tilts his head to the side. "Are you alright Steven?"

"Just… thinking…" Steven laughs nervously. "Uh, Jamie, if someone- like in real life and not in a story- seemed, uhm, totally perfect? I mean, unfailingly kind, beautiful, strong, etc."

"... No flaws at all? No one is perfect Steven. Who are you talking about?"

"None that I know of." Steven frowns, staring at the ground. "Uhm. M-my mom."

"You… Everyone is telling you that your mom was perfect?"Jamie shakes his head. "I didn’t really know your mother, but I know that she wasn’t perfect. That much should be a given."

"I… I think I need to talk to my dad. It was nice talking to you Jamie!"

"... Nice talking to you too, Steven?"

Steven takes off towards It's a Wash, and knocks on the back of his dad's van.

"Daaaaad." He cries, knocking harder. "Dad!"

After several minutes Greg Universe comes out of his van and smiles at Steven. "Hey Shtoo-ball." He ruffles Steven’s hair, much to Steven’s annoyance. "How are you doin?"

Steven frowns, crossing his arms and staring at the ground. "Hey, Dad…" Steven mutters, uncharacteristic melancholy clear in his voice, which visibly surprises Greg.

"Steven…" Greg puts a gentle hand on his son’s shoulder, his brow furrowed. "Is everything alright?"

"Dad…" Steven sighs, kicking at the ground. "Can… Can you tell me about Mom?" He lets out a slow breath. "Like, uhm, who was she? I don't really know much about her, and I know nothing about who she actually was…"

"Uuuuuuhh." Greg rubs the back of his head, clearly nervous. "Where is this coming from?"

"I… I just realized I don't know anything about her…"

Greg sighs and crouches down next to Steven. "...Well she was kind, and funny, and she cared about every little thing and saw worth in all of it."

"Yeah, Dad, I already know all that!" Steven snaps, crossing his arms. "But it doesn’t really tell me anything about who mom was!"

"Look Steven…" Greg lets out slow breath. "...I don’t know what you want me to say." He sighs. "That she snored on the rare occasions she actually slept? That she loved eating chaaaaps?" He sighs. "If you want to know things about her past or whatever, you…" He rubs the back of his head. "You should ask the Gems. I’m not saying you don’t have a right to know- you do. I…" He shakes his head. "I just don’t think I’m the one who should be telling you Steven. It’s not my place to speak on who someone I knew for a small fraction of their life is. I loved your mother, I really did. But she was more than I could begin to comprehend. We tried to work through it and build a meaningful relationship, and you’re living proof that we did to some extent, but whenever we made compromises, she was always coming down to my level, not the other way around. I loved your mom, but to say I understand her? Well, I don’t think anyone really does. Though, if you want to try, the gems are a good start."  

Steven scowls, staring hard at the ground. "Just…" He sighs. " … ask the Gems…" He sighs. "Fine. I will."

"Steven…" Greg murmurs at his son as he turns to walk off towards the temple. "Please don’t be angry with me. I… I just don’t think I’m the one who should tell you."

Steven sighs. "I… I understand Dad, but I need to know." He smiles weakly over his shoulder. "I… guess I need to go talk to the gems."

He walks into the still empty house and falls onto the couch, just sort of waiting for someone to come out of the temple. It’s only a few minutes before Amethyst comes out, walking straight to the kitchen and rifling through the fridge, oblivious to Steven being in the room.

"Amethyst?"

She freezes and closes the fridge. "Yo, Steven." She grins, then pauses, her face falling. "You’re not gonna ask me to play a game again, are you?"

Steven shakes his head rapidly. "Nonono. I… I want to know about Mom."

"Uuuuh?" She walks over and flops on the couch next to Steven. "What about her?"

"Well…" He fidgets, weaving his fingers together. "I just want to know _who_ she was. I… don’t really know much about her…"

"Your Mom was _AWESOME_ Steven." Amethyst claps her hands together, grinning widely. "She was the most kick butt warrior _EVER_ , taking out all sorts of tough monsters and junk all on her own- even more than Garnet! Like WHAM SHIELD BASH and chopping off dumb monster’s heads with her sword, and she always made sure were were safe and all that jazz. Your mom was rad, Steven!"

Steven stares blankly at Amethyst for several moments before sighing slightly. "I… I… Okay, okay, fine. But who was she!?"

Amethyst blinks several times, then scoffs at Steven. "What else is there to say?" She crosses her arms, rolling her eyes. "Your mom was super awesome. I’m not about to Psycho-an-laly-size her. Besides, it’s not my business who she was. She was cool to me, and she offered me a home when I had nobody. I’m thankful what she did, not who she was."

Steven frowns. "I’m… I’m not asking what you’re thankful for Amethyst. Or what you thought was cool about her. I’m asking _who_ is she?"

"Ugh. Steven, stop being a sad sack. Your mom was cool. And I am hungry. See you when you’re out of your funk man." She hops back to her feet and walks over to the fridge, grabbing a jar of jelly before returning to her room.

He groans, burying his face in the couch cushion.

There’s a loud noise outside, and Steven jolts up, staring out towards his front door. "Is it a gem monster?" When nothing seems to follow the noise, he relaxes, falling back on the couch again.

Sounds of very muffled conversation reaches Steven, though he’s not really sure what’s being said. He gets to his feet and creeps to the window, looking out just in time to see Peedee and Ronaldo walking away and Garnet standing at the base of the stairs.

She glances over her shoulder, and slowly walks inside. When she enters the building, the face she has on is even more unreadable than usual. "Hello Steven."

"Hey Garnet…" Steven frowns. "Why were you talking to Peedee and Ronaldo?"

"They just had a few questions." Garnet starts to walk back towards the temple door, but Steven darts after her, grabbing her hand.

"I…" Steven sighs. "I have a question too Garnet."

She pauses and turns around to face Steven. "Ask away."

He kicks at the edge of the warp pad, letting out a small sigh. "What…" He bites his lip. "What was my mom like? I mean, who…" He weaves his fingers together. "Who was she? I know I’ve been told a bunch about what she did and stood for, but I don’t really know anything about _who_ she really was…"

Garnet lets out a slow breath, and takes off her visor, her gaze downcast as she thinks carefully about her answer. "Rose…" She pauses, turning her hands palms up to look at her gems. "…let us be who I am without judging me. She gave me the freedom to be together myself, free to be _me_. Who she was…" Garnet puts her visor back on. "Was irrelevant in the equation."

Steven blinks several times, then scowls, crossing his arms. "Garnet! That didn’t answer my question at all." He glares up at Garnet. "Why does everyone keep dodging this!?"

Garnet is silent for a moment, and glances over her shoulder at the temple door, then back towards the front door. "That’s all I have to say on the matter Steven. I’m sorry if it isn’t the answer you wanted."

She turns and walks into the temple, leaving Steven with no answers at all.

"Ugh!" He sits down on the warp pad, putting his face in his hands. It’s just a few minutes later that there’s a knocking on the door. "It’s open." Steven calls, not even standing up.

Peedee comes in, frowning slightly. "Hey Steven."

"Oh." Steven forces a smile. "Hello Peedee."

"Hey Steven. Listen, I’m really sorry to bother you. It’s just… I was wondering if there was any way I could study gem history?" He smiles nervously as Steven blinks several times, clearly baffled.

"Uuuuh…" Steven stands up from the Warp Pad. "Why?"

"I… I was just curious. I mean, you’re busy with Gem Stuff all the time nowadays, and I know next to nothing about them…" Peedee rubs the back of his head, still nervously smiling.

Steven glances around and finds what he’s searching for, grabbing the warp whistle from a nearby shelf. "I’m not huge on ancient history, but if you want to try and study some stuff, I guess you could look at old gem locations." He holds out the Warp Whistle to Peedee who- after hesitating for a moment- takes the whistle.

"What… What do I do with this?"

"You blow the whistle while standing on a Warp Pad-" Steven gestures to the Warp Pad. "And think about where you want to go, and you warp there."

"Huh. Sounds interesting." He slowly steps over to the Warp Pad, and flashes a grin at Steven. "Thanks so much for this Steven! I’ll see you later!"

"See you, Peedee."

Peedee blows on the whistle and is quickly wooshed away into the Warp Stream.

"Does… Does he even know where he’s going?" Steven shakes his head and sighs, sitting back down on the Warp Pad. "Knowing Peedee, pretty soon he’s gonna wind up knowing more about the Gems than I do…"

He sighs, and puts his head in his hands.

Sometime later the temple door slides open neatly, Pearl stepping out. "Hello Ste… ven?" She sits down next to him on the Warp Pad, her brow furrowed. "Are you alright Steven?"

"Uhm…" Steven bites his lip. "Well, I, uh…" He looks away from Pearl, remembering all too well what happened the last time he asked Pearl about his mom.

"Steven?" Pearl puts a hand on his shoulder, quite obviously concerned. "You can talk to me about anything, you know that, right?"

Steven smiles slightly at Pearl. "I know…" He sighs. "I’m just… wondering about mom. I don’t really know anything about _who_ she was, and, whenever I ask, everyone keeps dodging the question…" He crosses his arms. "Dad told me I had ask you guys, Amethyst was just saying how cool she was, and Garnet… told me nothing at all."

"Oh, Steven…" Pearl sighs, a wistful little smile on her face. "Your mother was…" She laces her fingers together. "She was _wonderful_. She was brave, kind, beautiful, strong, loving… She… she was everything you could ever hope for in a leader, and in a friend… She was just… ama-"

"No!" Steven cuts Pearl off, jumping to his feet. "No! Pearl, you don’t _get it_ ! _Everyone_ has ALWAYS been telling me how _amazing_ and _perfect_ my mom was, but _no one_ is perfect. I know that now. And I still know _nothing_ about _who_ she was!" He blinks away tears, glaring at the utterly astonished Pearl. "Pearl, _please_ , if you really were the closest to her, tell me _who_ she was! Her personality, her disposition, her opinions, _anything_! I-I just want to know who she actually was…"

Pearl slowly stands, her eyes shining like she’s fighting back tears and she takes a shaking breath. "That’s… a complicated question Steven."

"Can you at least _try_ to answer it Pearl?" He sighs. "I know it’s painful for you guys to talk about Mom, but I need to know…"

Pearl nods slightly. "I know you need to know." She lets out a slow breath. "Your mother… she… she was…" Pearl closes her eyes slowly. "Heavens Steven, I don’t even know where to _begin_ when it comes to your mother…" She bites her lip.

"Was she that complicated?" Steven frowns. "I mean… the view I have of her isn’t even really a _person_ , so I guess anything is more complicated that that…"

She opens her eyes, frowning. "With… with someone who had lived as long as your mother… well, it’s difficult to sum up _who_ she was as a whole… I suppose it’s just easier to boil her down to her most prominent traits…"

"I… I guess, but real people aren’t that simple, so just… who was she? Please Pearl?"

"Of course, Steven… She… She was… I…" She closes her eyes again, tears spilling over. She sinks to the floor, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"Pearl?" Steven sits down next to her.

"Steven, I-I don’t know _who_ she was… I don’t think anyone _ever_ did… She was just… So _big_ . Everything about her seemed larger than life. When she walked into a room, perspective ceased to exist, there was nothing to compare to Rose, she was just… _Rose_ . She always acted like _Rose_ , She talked like _Rose_ , she made decisions _Rose_ would make. She. Was. _Rose_ . Whenever you looked at her, she seemed so unfathomable that I guess… I guess all we could ever do was break her down into the simplest components. her epithets, her mission, her _legacy_ . We chose to describe Rose by what she did because who she was was so beyond everything else. How can Rose be just _something_ when the Rose we knew… Felt like _everythin_ g?" Pearl hangs her head. "I’m… I’m _so_ sorry…"

Her words hang in the air as both gem and half-gem fall dead silent, the eyes of Steven’s mother, though closed in their image, seem to stare at everything everything in the room. A ghostly presence that haunts them both.

Hours pass before either of them do anything, other than Steven shifting his position slightly every now and them, and they are hours spent in absolute silence. It was only interrupted by Steven’s stomach growling,which seemed to jolt Pearl out of her thought, and she jumped to her feet, muttering about making dinner.

The next several days pass without incident, Steven just mulling over everything Pearl said. How… how could _no one_ know who she really was? Not even _Pearl_? Pearl who was closer to his mom than anyone?

That’s… just _weird_.

He’s… he’s missing something, isn’t he?

His mom is _definitely_ not as good as everyone says she is.

After those several days of silence on the topic- with Peedee coming in and out- Steven steels himself to talk to Pearl again.

He walks up to her, where she’s sitting on the couch, flipping through a book, and sits down next to her, fidgeting slightly. "Uuuh. Pearl?"

Pearl looks up from her book, her expression hesitant. "Yes, Steven?"

Steven sighs, looking at Pearl. "I... Know it's difficult for you to talk about Mom." He fidgets, glancing away for a moment, and then looking back up at Pearl. "And I know you're kind of dealing with your own problems. I realize now that figuring out who she was isn't really that simple, but…" He pauses, biting his lip. "Maybe you could tell me who she said she was? What she acted like? Maybe I'll never know what my mother was really like, but I at least want to know her to the same degree you guys did."

"That's…" Pearl close her book and sits it on the coffee table, frowning deeply.  "Still, uh, difficult, Steven."

"Pearl, I know whatever you're about to say is bad." He frowns, staring hard at Pearl. "I figured out the reason why you never want to talk about her is because whatever she did in the past probably wasn't okay. But... She's still my mom, Pearl. And, if you guys forgave her, than I can at least try to, can't I?"

Pearl sighs, smiling weakly at Steven. "When did you get so smart…"

"I…" Steven smiles at her. "Had some pretty great teachers."

Pearl returns his smile. "Your mother…" She grimaces, turning her gaze away from Steven, towards the floor.  "Had a… complicated past."

Steven’s eyes widen and his brow furrows. "Was... Was she evil?"

"Nononono!" Pearl waves hands frantically. "She wasn't evil, but... she…" She lowers her hands, frowning. "…wasn't always… _good_."

Steven blinks several times. "Did... Did she have something to do with the Kindergartens? I know you guys always get touchy when I mention them."

Pearl nods slowly. "Steven… she…" She sighs. "She was in charge of the Kindergartens. All kindergartens… _ever_."

Steven’s eyes go wide. "W-what? That…" He shakes his head. "Pearl, who was my mom? Who was she back on homeworld? Please, I need to know!"

"She..." Pearl looks up at the painting, and sighs, visibly fighting back tears. "She was Pink Diamond."

Steven stares silently at Pearl for a moment. "…WHAT!? Wait, _Diamond_!?" He shakes his head. "Like that gem that Jasper mentioned?"

Pearl nods. "There's also White and Blue Diamond in addition to Yellow Diamond." She sighs, hiding her  face in hands for a moment. "They… they're the Diamond Council, and... they rule Homeworld. Before your mother turned on them, she ruled with them."

"Wait…" Steven furrows his brow. "My mom was an actual Queen?"

Pearl laughs weakly, shaking her head. "More like an empress, but yes."

Steven tilts his head to the side. "So... She was in charge of Homeworld? Of the Kindergartens?"

"She shared leadership with the other three, but specifically she usually was in charge of Kindergartens and colony set up..."

"Colony…" Steven frowns at the floor, his brow furrowed.  "… So, on other planets, those things...?"

"Any... any native life was doomed as Gems…" Pearl grimaces, ducking her head. "Took over the planet. But Earth was the first planet Gems tried to colonize that had sentient life..."

"So, what, Mom took pity on us?"

Pearl sighs, leaning forward, with her forehead resting on her hand. "At first, yes. But she really did grow to love and respect humans..."

Steven laughs weakly. "You know, when you talk about how she saved the world, it changes things a bit when you mention that it was from herself..." His shoulder sag, and he frowns, looking towards the floor.

Pearl frowns. "… She tried to just tell the other Diamonds that they should just leave the Earth, but they didn't see an at the time primitive species as a reason to give up on a perfectly good colony."

"So she... She turned her back on the other Diamonds... For us?"

After a moment, Pearl nods. "Yes." She’s silent for a moment, biting her lip, clearly thinking. "… And in doing so she not only saved the Earth, but many, _many_ gems who choose to side with her, from the tyranny of Homeworld..." She sighs, weaving her fingers together.

Steven smiles slightly, gently putting a hand on Pearl’s. "You know... Even knowing what happened before, knowing what she did for the Earth, and what she gave up…" He flashes a brief grin at Pearl. "Mom was pretty great, wasn't she? Not _perfect_ , but still great."

Pearl smiles weakly. "Y-yeah. She was..."

Steven frowns, biting his lip and crossing his arms. "I…" He sighs. "Don't really know how to feel about all this. But I'm glad you told me Pearl. It's good to know the truth, for better or for worse." He leans forward and hugs Pearl from the side. "Thanks Pearl, that meant a lot to me."

"N-no problem, Steven…"

Steven pulls back from the hug, flashing a smile at Pearl. "I know there's more to it than what you said. I know there are some things about Mom that even you will need some time to realize." He tilts his head to the side. "But, for now, I think this is good. It's... It's a start. I know something new about who my mom was. It wasn't very nice, but hey, at least she isn't a fairytale anymore. ...Magical empress of an alien kingdom-thing aside." He chuckles. "I'm… Going to go get some air. See you at dinnertime, Pearl" He walks over to the door, pausing, and glances over his shoulder at Pearl.

"See you then Steven" She smiles weakly at him. "I'll… try to keep you in the loop from now on… you deserve to know…"

"…Thanks Pearl. That means a lot to me." He begins to open the door before pausing again. "...Hey, Pearl?"

"Yes?" Pearl asks slowly.

"...Did you believe in mom?"

"Of course I did Steven." She pauses, clearly hesitating. "She... was my _whole world_ for so long. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't believe in her."

Steven smiles brightly over his shoulder. "Well, if you believed in her, then... I guess I will too." He grins. "See you at dinner!" He shouts to Pearl as he steps outside.

Oooh boy. Steven takes a deep breath, and begins slowly walking down the stairs, when he notices Peedee almost run straight past him and stops.

“Hey! Steven!” Peedee says excitedly, looking vaguely disheveled and clutching several papers in his hands. “I figured it ou…”  Peedee trails off, frowning at Steven. “Are… are you okay?”

Steven nods, wiping at his eyes as he realizes he was on the verge of tears. Vaguely embarrassed he responds. “I-I’m fine. P-Pearl just told me some things…” He forces a smile. “What were you saying? You figured what out? The thing you needed to warp for?”

Peedee glances down at the papers in his hands. “Well, uhm. Yes. I… I was trying to find out more about your mother… because it seemed like you didn’t know much yourself, and that didn’t seem right, because… well, if she’s not around, you should know things about her…”

Steven blinks several times, utterly taken aback, then laughs weakly. “That’s really nice of you Peedee.” He smiles at his friend. “You didn’t need to do that for me.”

“I… I wanted to.” He glances at his papers again. “It… bothered me how _little_ everyone seemed to know about her.”

Steven nods, agreeing with Peedee. “Yeah. It’s strange how no one seemed to really _know_ her…”

“Other than the gems?”

Steven sighs, thinking about how little even the gems know. “So… uhm, what did you find out?”

Peedee glances at his notes again, and lets out a slow breath. “Her real name.”

Steven blinks several times, wondering how Peedee figured it out, but sighs and says it himself. “Pink Diamond.”

Peedeee stares silently at Steven, and after a moment, the pair sits down slowly on the steps.

Steven sighs, resting his chin on his hands, staring out over the ocean, the weight of this almost overwhelming him. “I… I think there’s more to my mom than any one person could ever know…”


End file.
